We're proud to unveil EMERGE, our inaugural photo feature showcasing the most talented up-and-coming young surf photographers in the world. Enjoy their work. You’ll be seeing it for years to come. Photo: Ryan Mack

"These are some of the greatest waves – the ones that break with the sort of reckless abandon usually reserved for a teenager at a house party. Photo: Christian McLeod

"The walk out after a long day can be one of the most satisfying parts of surfing." Photo: Paul Greene.

"Speed blurs capture so much motion. In longboarding in particular, there is more body movement to convey." Photo: Paul Greene.

"This image invokes a feeling of discovery – finding an empty gem like this is everyone's dream." Photo: Paul Greene.

"Silhouettes are some of the most powerful ways to capture energy on camera. Anyone who's surfed knows the feeling of this chasing you." Photo: Paul Greene.

This is the view we strive for: A glassy little window into a few precious moments. Photo: Paul Greene.

"Brendan Buckley is one of my favorite surfers to shoot photos with. Until this day, Buckley will charge
the heaviest sections to go for airs that most people would snap their ankles on, but he pulls them. This was a stormy spring day here in New Jersey. We were going for big boosts with the jetty and clouds in the backdrop." Photo: Ryan Mack

Spring Lake, New Jersey. "2011 one of the better swells of that winter. These perfect peaks
pushed down the beach, just breaking with no one really out, so I turned around and climbed up onto the nearest jetty and shot north instead of the all star session in front of me. Lucky I did 'cause I snapped this snow covered lineup." Photo: Ryan Mack

"Tommy Ihnken walking back up a snow covered beach after a fun three hour session at one of the
local beaches. The snow on the beach gave for a hard contrast with the setting sun in the background peaking through the rocks. Winters here get cold, this day was a windchill of -4... coldest of the year." Photo: Ryan Mack

Mike Gelason. "Doom’s day swell here in New Jersey – dark and rainy conditions made me slow
down my shutter for a different effect on my subject. This was one of the first major winter swells in 2012 right after Hurricane Sandy so all the boys were frothing to get on the great tubes." Photo: Ryan Mack

Sam Hammer. "This is probably one of my favorite photos to date. Sam dropping into a freight
train left the week after the Dooms Day swell here in New Jersey. You can fit a full size SUV in the tube right behind him and a small school bus into the sections he’s on." Photo: Ryan Mack

"This was one of my first barrel photos I took in the water. I think every time you accomplish something, you're more confident the next time around, and I think that every small success in life will give you more ambition to do other things." Photo: Mike Incitti.

"There is a core of corporate surf junkies in New York who max out their 'sick days' every winter for the entire year. They gladly deal with the flat summer months and hard work ahead with the satisfaction of knowing that they were in the right place at the right time in New Jersey." Photo: Mike Incitti.

Tom Petriken. LBI, NJ. "This past winter pumped for four months straight. Things didn't get monotonous, but I was able to look for other ways to appreciate the surf." Photo: Mike Incitti.

"Look through a positive filter at your life and the world around you no matter what the elements are. This photo of Clay Pollioni taken after Hurricane Sandy in Ortley Beach, NJ serves as a testament to this message." Photo: Mike Incitti.

Manasquan Inlet, NJ. "This photo is one of my favorite lineup photos I've ever taken. I just love the big spray going over the back of the wave from the offshore winds and the glowing light effect in the shore break." Photo: Mike Incitti.

"The best part about living in Southern California is that you never have to travel very far to find waves like this barren drainer somewhere off of Pacific Coast Highway." Photo: Maxx Buchanan.

J Wessels dancing through a section, last light at Churches. Photo: Alex Swanson.

Troy Elmore scooting by me, at a well known beach break in Orange County. Photo: Alex Swanson.

"We had a brief window of a combo swell accompanied by warm, offshore winds. I tried to take the most of that opportunity." Photo: Alex Swanson.

"Last year I was lucky enough to work with my friend Chris Burkard and other epic lensmen, Keith Ladzinski and Lucas Gilman, during a night shoot for Nikon. I was so grateful for the invite from these guys to share the experience. Instinct came into play because of the lack of visibility, but Austin Smith-Ford was executing flawlessly." Photo: Colin Nearman.

In the heart of the wild. An image from a solo voyage into the depths of Iceland. Photo: Colin Nearman.

Claimed by the sea. Your personal connection to the ocean is strengthened by being alone with it. Photo: Colin Nearman.

"Light offshore winds and mid-­winter mayhem. The theme around home seems to be finding beauty in unexpected places." Photo: Colin Nearman.

Nate Tyler, somewhere in California. "One of the most memorable swells I've chased in California. From start to finish, this wave was nuts. It was an honor watching Nate find these moments." Photo: Colin Nearman.

One of the greatest pleasures of running The Inertia is featuring amazing photographers from around the globe and sharing their work with you. From industry veterans who’ve cut their teeth in some of the best locations on the planet to up-and-coming shutterbugs who demonstrate telling promise, we’re floored by the amount of talent behind the lens.

To that end, we’ve chosen 11 of the most talented young guns in the surf photography world to watch as they emerge in the coming years. We reached out to them and asked them a few simple questions about who inspires them and what makes them different from their peers. Their answers were inspiring – so inspiring, in fact, that we want you to read them in order to gain insight into what makes these burgeoning talents so good at what they do. As you browse through their images, check the captions beneath.

Enjoy their work. You’ll be seeing it for years to come.

—The Editors

Editor’s Note:This story is brought to you by vapor-distilled smartwater, who found unique inspiration for their water by looking up to the sky. we hope the change in perspective this piece offers will help inspire you.